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Promotional photo for BTS’ new album “Proof” (courtesy Big Hit Music)

South Korean Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup said he planned to make a decision as quickly as possible on whether the members of the K-pop group BTS would receive exemptions from mandatory military service after surveying the public’s opinions on the matter.

Appearing before a plenary session of the National Assembly National Defense Committee on Wednesday, Lee was urged by Democratic Party lawmaker Sul Hoon to stop delaying a decision on the matter.

“I have set a deadline to make a decision, and I have issued instructions to conduct a survey of public opinion,” Lee replied.

The same day, Sul and People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong suggested a survey as a way of establishing a public consensus on the BTS military service question.

In an announcement issued after Lee’s response to the National Assembly, the Ministry of National Defense said the “survey findings will be consulted alongside various other considerations as data for making a policy decision.”

Clarifying the meaning of Lee’s remarks, it said, “The order was not to carry out a survey quickly, but to examine whether one was necessary and to consider the relevant details for when one is conducted, including the survey organization, time period and participants.”

It also explained that in the interest of fairness, any survey that is conducted would be administered by an institution that is not the Defense Ministry or stakeholder agency.

In his National Defense Committee response, Lee said that in terms of the BTS military service issue, the “ultimate consideration in various respects will need to be the national interest.”

“I think it can be examined in terms of various considerations besides economic ones, including other constitutional and cultural values,” he added.

He went on to announce plans for “considering the opinions of the committee members and making a decision as quickly as possible in reflection of the national interest.”

Lee Ki-sik, the commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, was cautious in sharing his views.

“Given that the trend has been a gradual decline in military manpower resources, and that the current reservist system is the one from when there were more military manpower resources, there needs to be a review of the entire reservist system at the present time when military manpower resources have been declining,” he said.

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]